16Gb player with as few features as possible?

[beruthiel]

I'm looking for a new player to fit the following requirements, in order of priority:

- under AUD$200 (I could just stretch to $250)
- 16GB at least
- able to play .wma files
- doesn't need intermediary software to upload music (just drag and drop)
- reliable brand with good support available if something goes wrong!
- has a screen

Non-essentials/bonuses:
- FM radio
- it'd be nice if it were available in Australia so I won't have to bother with having something shipped from afar.

Other than that, I want no shiny fripperies of features! I have a laptop for keeping my photos and videos on. I don't lust after touchscreens. Heck, I still keep a diary on paper. I am a young fogey.

Does anyone know whether such a beastie exists?

[CrowdAds]

[deadohiosky]

g'day and welcome to abi.


first of all you need to clarify what you mean by "has a screen". most of the modern mp3 players (except for, e.g., ipod shuffle ofc) have a "screen".



this is the sansa clip+. it's a no nonsense player and costs AUS $99 at
http://www.themp3outletstore.com.au/...roducts_id/448

and meets all your requirements, except for one: it only has up to 8 gb capacity. however you can buy a 8 gb (or higher) micro sd card and get it to 16 gb. sandisk's sansa players are proven to rather robust and i think the customer service is quite good, can't say much about this particular website though, and maybe you can get it even cheaper from someplace else.

then there are the sony walkman players especially the sony e-series



they cost AUS $149 at http://www.themp3outletstore.com.au/...roducts_id/454

it's a little bit more proprietary but afaik you can load it just as well per drag and drop, also. a clear advantage it has over the clip+ is its battery life, while the clip+ has around 15 hours playback, the sony walkman doubles that.


there is also the sansa fuze, which has a bigger screen and better but i haven't found an australian retailer in that short of a time.

[dgb52]

i agree the Clip+, Sony E345 and Sansa Fuze all good players

I have all three of them

[copeys]

Originally Posted by beruthiel

I'm looking for a new player to fit the following requirements, in order of priority:

- under AUD$200 (I could just stretch to $250)
- 16GB at least
- able to play .wma files
- doesn't need intermediary software to upload music (just drag and drop)
- reliable brand with good support available if something goes wrong!
- has a screen

Non-essentials/bonuses:
- FM radio
- it'd be nice if it were available in Australia so I won't have to bother with having something shipped from afar.

Other than that, I want no shiny fripperies of features! I have a laptop for keeping my photos and videos on. I don't lust after touchscreens. Heck, I still keep a diary on paper. I am a young fogey.

Does anyone know whether such a beastie exists?

I agree with what deadohiosky said, bout the sansa clip+. It would be the best, and to be honest, most people on this forum would also recommend it for anything.

However, your problem of getting many different (and not cheapo knockoff) MP3 players in Australia is very slim. I searched for like 4 months for somewhere I could buy a clip in store, and ended up actually purchasing one off someone here on abi>> - so be prepared to buy something online

[lestatar]

The peeps are spot on with the recommendations I think, only I would add the Fuze as well and possibly the new Fuze+, though the Fuze+ is really too new to have gotten a good number of reviews/user feedback yet.

The Sony E series, current and recently introduced seem to hit all your criteria right out of the box. Only possible exception is the MSC drag/drop part. By strict design, the Sony players are nominally MTP players, but it is possible to tweak your system to make them work as MSC players [though 1 ABi member nearly bricked his S series trying this, so full disclosure here].

The Fuze is like the Clip+, sonically nearly identical, but is slightly wider, taller and flatter, offers ~24 hours battery life, comes with microSDHC support and has a full color decent screen.

As stock devices go, I personally think the Sony is the more complete player, especially if you manage it in a Win environment under MTP protocol using Winamp. File/song and playlist management is a complete breeze.

Yes, true MSC drag/drop is a touch faster, but stuff like playlist creation on the devices can be problematic.

cheers, good luck and do let us know what you decide.
-lestatar

PS: Oh as far as I know, the USA Clip+, Fuze and Sony E345 series all utilize global standard mini USB connectors. Not sure about Aussie versions or what's on the newest Sony E devices.

[beruthiel]

Thanks, all! This is extremely helpful. Thank you for your detective work, I was just totally overwhelmed.

It looks like the Sony fits my "wants" list best, even if it needs the software. And the ability to create playlists is something useful I hadn't thought of. I'll let you know what I end up deciding upon when I've looked at reviews, and then when I've looked at Australian availability.

I hear you about online shopping and cheap knock-offs, copeys. I actually bought a player last week from Dick Smith Electronics, one of their own brand's designs (an a5147). Terrible - it claims to play wmas but when I loaded my music collection onto it it only plays about 30% of my tracks. My partner and I have both beaten our heads against it trying to figure out what's wrong with the player; the tracks are all uncorrupted and play perfectly on my coputer. It's not bitrate that's the problem; it's not naming convention... the player seems arbitrarily to chose what to play and what not to play.

Will take it back to the shop to tell them the unit seems faulty, and I'm hoping for my money back rather than another player. Irrational maybe, but the whole thing has been spoiled for me.

Upshot of the story is that I'm planning to go for a more recognised brand which (hopefully!!) will come with much better instructions, and actually be google-able if something does go wrong. *Sigh*. My little old iRiver player had its quirks until it died, but one benefit was the huge online fanbase who helped each other make sense of the Korean (I think) to English instructions.

[skip252]

I think you may have misread what Lestatar said. The Sony is a good choice IMO. I like mine quite a bit. But you do not "need" software. They support drag and drop and playlist creation with no software.

Life will be much easier with Winamp, Mediamonkey or even *ugh* Windows Media Player handling playlists and such but you don't absolutely have to have a media management program.

Too bad you're looking for a minimalist player. Mooshi, who's also from Australia was here looking for advice on a player from this list. Mousing around the minidisc.au site I checked the 16 GB players available. The 16 GB iAudio 9 seems to be at a nice price. I've noticed electronics in that part of the world are usually really pricey compared to the US. That price on a Cowon was a bit surprising.

You may want to check that when you make your final decision. Cowons are noted for their features and sound enhancements. From my research that may be a great bang for the buck deal for just another $20.

[McDougal]

Sony E series and Clip+ are my two recommendations. I would recommend the E series more simply because of the bigger screen and longer bat. life, but if those aren't a problem for you, then I'd suggest going for the Clip+.

[eboyer93]

Originally Posted by lestatar

PS: Oh as far as I know, the USA Clip+, Fuze and Sony E345 series all utilize global standard mini USB connectors. Not sure about Aussie versions or what's on the newest Sony E devices.

The Fuze does not have a mini usb port but uses a proprietary connector, althought the Fuze+ has standard Micro usb port.

Just thought I clarify even though I know you knew that already.

[Marvin the Martian]

Originally Posted by eboyer93

The Fuze does not have a mini usb port but uses a proprietary connector, althought the Fuze+ has standard Micro usb port.

Just thought I clarify even though I know you knew that already.

You'd think that owning a Fuze, he would know that....

[BlueSkyMine]

Originally Posted by beruthiel

I hear you about online shopping and cheap knock-offs, copeys. I actually bought a player last week from Dick Smith Electronics, one of their own brand's designs (an a5147). Terrible - it claims to play wmas but when I loaded my music collection onto it it only plays about 30% of my tracks. My partner and I have both beaten our heads against it trying to figure out what's wrong with the player; the tracks are all uncorrupted and play perfectly on my coputer. It's not bitrate that's the problem; it's not naming convention... the player seems arbitrarily to chose what to play and what not to play.

Will take it back to the shop to tell them the unit seems faulty, and I'm hoping for my money back rather than another player. Irrational maybe, but the whole thing has been spoiled for me.

Dick Smith are usually pretty good for refunds but yeah, their players are just re-branded Chinese models so quality control is going to be hit and miss.

Makes me wonder if the man himself has any regrets letting his company go while it still has his name on it.

[copeys]

Originally Posted by BlueSkyMine

Dick Smith are usually pretty good for refunds but yeah, their players are just re-branded Chinese models so quality control is going to be hit and miss.

Makes me wonder if the man himself has any regrets letting his company go while it still has his name on it.

Your totally NOT dissing woolworths Limited are you???

Better not be

EDIT: Also, at a Dick Smith in Orange NSW, there was many different players from creative and stuff, but was REALLY expensive... I have not been into that particular store in around 2 years, however at every other Dick Smith I have been to since then, the only MP3 players are generic chinese models and ipods... So I am guessing in the latest store refurb and layout that Woolworths Limited is conducting, they are deleting the range of other models from their shelves... wouldn't be the 1st time.

[lestatar]

Originally Posted by eboyer93

The Fuze does not have a mini usb port but uses a proprietary connector, althought the Fuze+ has standard Micro usb port.

Just thought I clarify even though I know you knew that already.

Ach! Dammit....kids just say no!

Indeed, I was completely wrong - how could I make the error about the Fuze?

The Fuze does require a proprietary connector to the device.

And yes, skip252 is correct in interpreting my post - the Sony E/S does not need Winamp, MediaMonkey, etc....He is indeed right in that my experience indicates life will be extremely easy using the above apps to manage the Sonys...

Mea culpa - sorry for the misinformation

[deadohiosky]

i also agree with skip that the iaudio 9 would be a good choice as well.

though the rated battery life is 29 hours "only" (compared to around 60 hours for the predecessor, iaudio 7) it's a good device, with a good screen and good eq. however it's not the best bang for the buck. i think the sony e-xxx would be the best bang for the buck.

[BlueSkyMine]

Originally Posted by copeys

Your totally NOT dissing woolworths Limited are you???

Better not be

Let's see... the man himself, Mr. Richard Harold Smith, is a big supporter of locally made and manufactured goods while the chain of stores that bear his name, Dick Smith Electronics, stock a variety of branded items that also bear his name but are not, in fact, made in Australia.

Nope, not dissing Woolies at all.

EDIT: Also, at a Dick Smith in Orange NSW, there was many different players from creative and stuff, but was REALLY expensive... I have not been into that particular store in around 2 years, however at every other Dick Smith I have been to since then, the only MP3 players are generic chinese models and ipods... So I am guessing in the latest store refurb and layout that Woolworths Limited is conducting, they are deleting the range of other models from their shelves... wouldn't be the 1st time.

I've seen some Sony items and old Samsung players but I think that was just stock they were trying to get rid of. Even then, that was at one of their Powerhouse mega stores.

@beruthiel: Minidisc.com.au is a pretty good place to buy from and apparently very good for customer service so you won't have to worry about getting problems fixed if you do have any.

[copeys]

Originally Posted by BlueSkyMine

Nope, not dissing Woolies at all.

[CarlB57]

The Creative Zen MX has a history of being a very nice player with good SQ. It appears to meet all your requirements. At only $79 bucks US, you should have a look. I have the Zen and it is better than the Sonys in every way. JMHO

[skip252]

Originally Posted by CarlB57

The Creative Zen MX has a history of being a very nice player with good SQ. It appears to meet all your requirements. At only $79 bucks US, you should have a look. I have the Zen and it is better than the Sonys in every way. JMHO

I believe you beruthiel missed is in Australia . Prices in America won't mean much to them.

BTW your repeating that Creative players are superior to Sonys is not going to make that come true. I have had the Creative Zen MX. I believe I was fair when I gave it a 2 week try out. The advertised feature set attracted me. The actual experience with the player made me be sure to return it.

While it wasn't horrible it was outclassed in just about every way by all the other players I had at that time. I have upgraded my players since then so that would make it even less of an item I would recommend.

[CarlB57]

Originally Posted by skip252

BTW your repeating that Creative players are superior to Sonys is not going to make that come true. I have had the Creative Zen MX. I believe I was fair when I gave it a 2 week try out. The advertised feature set attracted me. The actual experience with the player made me be sure to return it.

While it wasn't horrible it was outclassed in just about every way by all the other players I had at that time. I have upgraded my players since then so that would make it even less of an item I would recommend.

I'm also the owner of 2 top-of-the-line Sonys that aren't worth the packaging they arrived in. They're for sale if you're interested. One can only speak honestly of their own firsthand experiences, right?

[skip252]

No thanks.

BTW "shouting" by increasing your font size and changing the color is neither going to fix your Sony or make a Creative MX any better a player.